


Anything for You

by CCaptainRex



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: 3 + 1 Things, Cute, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Reader-Insert, Slow Romance, no "Y/N", there is not enough love for Fox
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:28:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26638843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CCaptainRex/pseuds/CCaptainRex
Summary: 3 times Fox tried to make a move, and the one time you did.
Relationships: CC-1010 | Fox/Original Female Character(s), CC-1010 | Fox/Reader
Comments: 4
Kudos: 76





	Anything for You

1.

Being on the medical team of the Coruscant meant a lot of things. Constantly moving, adapting, tagging along on Senator missions in case they needed immediate care. It meant long hours doing nothing in the sickbay and midnight shifts filled with stupid soap operas and hidden chocolate bars stashed throughout the base. 

"Hey, Bones." It also meant dealing with Fox, the most stubborn trooper you've ever met. He was a good commander, one of the most decorated ARC Troopers out there, and hated coming to the sickbay and admitting he was hurt. Normally, you'd gripe about how he keeps getting himself hurt but tonight? Tonight is different. It's just past midnight when he shows up at your door, helmet tucked under his arm and you can't take your eyes off the deep bags under his, and you wonder when's the last time he got a good amount of sleep. 

"Hello, commander. How can I help you?" He sits himself down on one of the empty cots and stares at the floor, shaking out his hands. You've never seen him this...nervous? Could you call it that? He glances up and his eyes meet yours and he quickly turns to look at the door.

" _Ineedsomethingtohelpmesleep._ " He rushes out, and you barely understand him. He glances up, sees your confusion, and sighs. He presses the palm of his hands to his eyes and lets out another long breath. "I need something to help me sleep." 

Ah. You both know why this is a midnight request, whispered in the sickbay with no patients. Because clones sleep perfectly anywhere and everywhere, they're pretty much programmed to. Any clone who couldn't, had a defect. Or, in Fox's case, was haunted by his past to the point sleep evaded him. You tap your finger on your chin and think about the last time you took inventory. "I'm afraid I don't carry any sleeping pills besides the heavy stuff." 

"Oh. Just...I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come-" He stands and you press a hand against his chest. 

"Don't go just yet, commander. I think I have something that'll do the trick." He slowly sits back down and you turn to your workstation. You pull open the drawers on your desk and pull out the heating pad, along with two mugs. For you, on nights where you needed to get some rest for the next day's shift, tea helped put you to sleep better than any pill could. Fox watches you with an arched brow, and you smile up at him. "You better not report me for having personal items at work, Commander, or the next time you punch a droid I'm not healing your fist." 

"Fox." You do a double-take in confusion. "Call me Fox, Bones. It's not like I call you doctor." 

You got the call-name Bones when you had to help fix a troopers arm that was so mangled all the bones stuck out in awkward angle. The image still makes you shiver, and you hold your hands over the pad to see if it's heated yet. You pour tap water into the mugs and look up at him with a smile. "Well, you should. Of all people, I took you to be a professional." 

"Sue me, I'm off hours." He states calmly, and you roll your eyes and set the mugs filled with water onto the pad.

"I wish I was off-hours, but I'm stuck with the all-nighter shift." Fox winces and knows your pain. The all-nighter shifts were the worst. "Do you have any preference over tea?" 

"Can't say I do." You put the tea bags in and swirl it around, watching the colour bleed into the water. "What's this for?" 

You hand over the mug and perch yourself on the cot next to him. "Tarine tea. Always help me sleep, just a calming drink." 

"Help you sleep?" He takes a long sip and hums. 

"Being a medic isn't the prettiest occupation. Sometimes it's hard to fall asleep, that's all." You take a small sip from your mug, and Fox has already drunk half of his mug. 

"I know that feeling. Like you can't sleep, or you'll see everything again." You wonder what Fox has seen in his time. He's one of the most decorated ARC troopers, but that must come with some baggage. "Plus, the barrack beds are absolute trash. I know I shouldn't complain, but the beds on away missions are so much nicer." 

You pat the cot behind you with a smile. "You're welcome to sneak in here to sleep if I'm on shift. Cots are awfully comfortable, I've fallen asleep on multiple occasions." 

"Really? You do know I'm your superior officer, you're telling me you've slept on the job." Instead of answering you reach over and try to take his mug, and he raises it above his head. "It was a joke! Joke!" 

You laugh and drop your hand, and Fox laughs with you. It's the first time you've ever heard him laugh like that, soft and low, but it's probably the lack of sleep talking. "Are you telling me, Commander, you've never fallen asleep on the job?" 

"Once. And Thire drew a moustache on my helmet." You snort out a laugh into your hand, and can easily picture it in your head. "Since then, I haven't." 

"How do you stay awake on your shifts?" You were certain he'd have fallen asleep more often. With the helmet, he could probably get away with it. 

"An unhealthy amount of caf." You set your mug down and pad back to your desk, turning your screen to face the cot. You sit back down on the cot and cross your legs, and pat the spot beside you for Fox to shuffle up beside you."What's that?" 

You mess with the remote until the screen turns on an opening plays. "This is how I survive long nights. Bad shows and tea." 

"Kriff...You watch Love Galaxy?" You beam up at him and shift further back onto the cot. "You're kidding, right?" 

"It is the best worst show. Trust me, you watch this garbage and fall asleep instantly." You pick your tea back up and take a sip. "So, you want a sleep remedy? This is it." 

"I don't know-" Fox cuts himself off with a yawn, and you poke his side with a laugh. 

"See, it works!" He rolls his eyes and moves his arm, pinned beside you, to be over the top of you and resting on the equipment behind you. "Do you want me to catch you up on the latest episode, or just let it break your brain?" 

He laughs softly and you feel his chest shake beside you. "Let it rot my brain, thanks." 

You both sit in silence, and you can feel sleep tug at you. It probably wasn't the best idea to get comfortable when you still had so many hours of a shift left, but if it helped Fox, it was alright. Glancing up at him, you're struck by just how...friendly you two are. 

When did this happen? You remember him barely tolerating you at first, and now he's pressed against your side watching bad reality shows with you and drinking tea. You're not mad about it one bit, glad to have the commander on your good side, but still. How tired does he have to be to let this all slide? 

Fox lets his arm slip from the headboard to rest over your shoulder, and your heart stutters as he slowly pulls you into his side. You'd never thought of Fox like this, him being one of your superiors, but you don't mind. His eyes are glued forward and you can feel his heart pound in his chest, terrified of the fact he let himself do that. 

You shift closer into his side and rest your head back on his shoulder with a yawn, and he relaxes more. "You make a good pillow, Commander." 

"Fox. And thank you." One of the main girls does something stupid and you laugh, head tilted back and you catch Fox staring at you. He blushes and instantly looks away, but that doesn't stop the smile on his face from growing wider. 

You didn't expect tonight to go like this, at all. You didn't expect to have Fox in your sickbay, watching bad tv, and making you feel things you haven't felt in a while, but you don't mind at all. 

2.

Prisoners liked to riot. In a high-security prison, it was expected. Like any other day, the sirens started to blare and you closed off the door and nestled yourself into your desk as the guard at your door stood watch. It'd last an hour, or two, and then a wave of hurt troopers would come in and you'd help fix them up and ship them back up. 

"Bones! I need your help, Bones!" The door flies open and Thorn sprints in, dragging an unconscious Fox behind him. You're quick at their side, bringing Fox to lay on one of the cots. "He got flung across the cafeteria, you should've seen it!" 

You slide his helmet off and look over for any head injuries. "Where'd he hit?" 

"Arm." You take one glance down and know it's out of its socket. "Will he be okay?" 

"He'll be fine, I just need to put his shoulder back into place." A medical droid comes over, and you start pulling off Fox's armour. While it did a great job protecting him, it also kept you from his wounds. "Thorn, help me get rid of his blacks." 

You expect Thorn to just pull Fox's shirt off, but instead, he grabs at the collar and rips it down the side, and then just slides it off. You carefully feel around Fox's shoulder and he shifts in his sleep. "Oh maker, is his shoulder out of his socket?" 

"Yes. To re-set it, I need you to hold him down." You say, and Thorn's helmet stares at you. "If he wakes up he's going to flail about, and he could make it worse." 

"Okay. If he punches me, I'm blaming you." He mutters as he braces his one hand on Fox's arm, the other on his good shoulder. 

"If he punches you, I'll give you extra dessert rations." You let out a slow breath. It's been a while since you've had to do this. "Alright. One, two-" 

You snap his arm back into place and his eyes fly open with a curse, struggling against Thorn's hold. "You kriffing-fecking-" 

"Easy, Commander, you're in sickbay." You try to keep your voice as light as possible. "You're alright." 

"B-Bones?" Fox wheezes as he squints up at you, and you watch realization slowly settle over him. "Kriff...What happened?" 

"You got thrown across the cafeteria and dislocated your shoulder." Thron fills in, and You watch Fox try to move his shoulder and hiss. You turn to the medical droid, who hands over a painkiller. 

Fox's eyes widen at the needle, and you realize the expression on his face is fear. "2-1BT6, can you find me a splint?" 

"W-What's the needle for?" Fox finally asks, voice hoarse. You smile down at him and gently run a hand up his arm, trying to soothe him. 

"It's a painkiller, to help with your shoulder." You keep your tone light, but he shakes his head forcefully. 

"Don't need it." He grunts out. "I'm fine." 

You let out a sigh and reach up to place a hand on his bad shoulder and he curses worse than a sailor, and you give him a knowing look. You don't know why exactly Fox is afraid of needles, but his eyes don't leave it while it's in your hand. "It's one injection, Commander." 

"Don't need it." He insists, and you look up at Thorn with a sigh. 

"Thorn, hold down his arm please." Thorn smirks at your orders and holds down Fox's good shoulder and arm, and with his newly relocated shoulder he can't do anything but flail and spit curses out at Thorn, and you wipe a disinfectant wipe over the inner of his elbow. 

"Bones, I swear, you jab me with that and I'll-I'll-" He starts to stutter as the needle gets close, and you can't bring yourself to do anything while he struggles. You set it down to the side and he relaxes into the cot, head falling back onto his pillow. 

You link his hand with yours and squeeze. "You need a painkiller, Fox." It feels so strange to use only his name. "A needle is the best way to administer it." 

"Isn't there a pill?" The droid returns with a splint, and you take it with a sigh. 

"Either it will be too low of a dose or knock you out for a week, commander. So, let me use the needle, please." He shakes his head again and hisses when it jostles his shoulder. "Why don't we make a compromise? You take the injection, I do something for you." 

"N-No. I don't need a needle, okay? I'm fine to be in pain." You look up at Thorn, who nods and holds Fox's arm down again and you take the needle into hand. "Hey! I said I didn't w-want it, you can't do that-" 

"I can pull rank if I think it will benefit the patient. And right now, you need something to help you through this." He curses again and keeps struggling, and you reach your free hand up to cup the side of his face. He stops and looks up at you, and he tries to hide the fear in his face. "Fox, I'm not doing this to hurt you, okay? You need help." 

Fox huffs and lets his head fall onto the pillow and squeezes his eyes shut. "Do it." 

"Want me to countdown-" He shakes his head, and you finally inject him and he hisses softly, but after a moment he squints one eye open. 

"Was...Was that it?" Thorn lets go of his arm as you press a small bandage down. 

"Wasn't that easy, commander?" He blushes and looks away. "You know, it's alright to be afraid of needles, people often retain that fear from childhood-" 

"I am not afraid of needles!" Fox insists, sitting up and groaning at the action. "I'm a grown man, I just didn't want to waste supplies." 

You smile at him and prepare his splint. "Still. I'd never do anything purposefully to hurt you." 

"What's the painkiller do?" He asks, and you can see the effects already in the works. 

"It'll help ease the pain, and probably make you tired. Lay down, get some rest, and let Thorn go back to work." Fox looks up at Thorn with a glare. 

"You tell anyone about today I'll gut you, got it?" Fox's threat falls flat and Thorn laughs. 

"Sure thing, Commander," Thorn says and checks his comms. "He'll be good if I leave him here?" 

You nod and peel off your gloves. "Absolutely. I believe he'll be good by tomorrow, but he'll be stuck in that splint for a bit." 

Thorn leaves, and you shake your head with a smile. The troopers were always so concerned with each other, it was heartwarming. "I'm going back to work." Fox says and swings his legs over the side of the cot and you stare at him in bewilderment. 

"Oh, you most certainly not!" You press a hand to his chest and easily move him back down into a laying position. "You are staying here until I say so." 

"I'm fine," He yawns and turns his head to look at you. "Really, I'm all good." 

"No, you're staying here, and that's final." You pat his good shoulder and stand up. "Now get some sleep, commander."

His good hand slips from the cot to grab your wrist. "You better wake me...in an hour..." 

"Sure thing, Fox." He passes out without hesitation and you bite back a laugh, turning to watch another injured trooper enter the sickbay. The painkiller should last an hour or two, but knowing Fox, he'll probably sleep until it's dark. 

You aren't wrong, and a straight five hours later he's still not awake. You watch his vitals, and he's fine. Just exhausted, likely. You watch him sleep, and notice something about him you hadn't before - He has grey hairs. Just above his ears, and they streak down. You knew he was one of the older clones, but you hadn't thought grey hairs were something clones could get. His were probably from stress, anyway. 

You reach out and tuck his hair away from his face, and think back to that night when he fell asleep on you watching bad tv. Since then, you and Fox were...different. Closer, a bit more understanding. There was this strange little dance you did around each other, like walking on eggshells, unsure of where you both lied. 

Fox hums and snaps you from your thoughts, and his eyes flicker open. "Hey, Bones." 

"Good morning, Commander. Or should I say good evening." His eyes widen and he glances around to try and check the time. "You've only been asleep five hours, Fox." 

"Five hours?!" He exclaims, looking at you in disbelief. "I told you to wake me!" 

"You needed to rest, Commander." You check your watch. "You're still staying the night." 

Fox grumbles and lets his head fall back onto his pillow. "You're not allowed to keep me here." 

"Actually, I am. So sit tight, watching some bad reality shows, do whatever. You're stuck with me." You hand over the remote to the screen with a smile. 

"That doesn't sound too bad." He squints at the remote. "Think I can get the news?" 

"Maker, you really are an old man." You mutter before you can stop yourself, and Fox looks at you in shock. 

"I-Did-Is this about my grey hair?" You hide your laugh behind your hand and look away. "Old man, really? You need better bedside manner." 

You roll your eyes and run a hand back through his hair, and he leans into the movement. "I think grey hair suits you." 

"You're just calling me old again." He says with a sigh, finally flicking onto a news channel. 

"Take the compliment, Commander. Are you hungry?" He shakes his head, and you understand clones have adjusted diets and eat less than normal beings. "Can I offer you some tea?" 

"Tea sounds lovely." You go about making his tea, and his eyes are fixed onto the screen, watching some report about stocks intently. He really is an old man, isn't he? "Is it the same as last time?" 

You pull a box of teabags from your desk. "It's a surprise." 

"Better not be poison." You laugh at that, pulling a random one out. "Or earl grey. Stone made me that once, wasn't good." 

"That's probably because Stone made you _tea_." You return to his side with the mug and help him sit up, and you take in his bare chest. Scars litter him, from small to big, some obvious blaster wounds and others jagged shapes that make you shiver. One thing about the clones, is they all take great pride in working out, and Fox no exception. 

The man is built like a god. "He was trying to be nice, I think." 

"Maybe he was actually trying to poison you." He takes a sip of tea and looks up with a strange look on his face. "What?" 

"It's like...flowery?" You shrug and he holds out the mug. "Try it, you'll get it." 

You take the mug and take a small sip, and it's definitely a sweeter, earthier blend. "That's not bad." 

"But it's like drinking a flower." You roll your eyes and hand the mug back. "How's everyone else doing?" 

"Good. A broken foot, and a couple of scrapes, but nothing too bad." He nods and looks around the sickbay, the only other clone there dead asleep. "How was it? The riot?" 

"Like every other riot." He grumbles and takes another sip. "You'd think at this point they'd stop trying." 

"Well, like a wonderful commander I know, maybe they're not the brightest." You watch his expression rise and fall when he realizes what you mean, and you smile to yourself.

Fox scoffs and gives your shoulder a nudge, turning back to the news. "Once again, terrible bedside manner. I'm giving you a bad review." 

"Maker, whatever shall I do?" You deadpan and move back to your desk. 

"What are you doing?" You glance up at Fox, who watches you intently. 

"I'm going to start up a report, I should get it finished soon." 

"Oh. Okay. I-I just, um, don't mind your company." Which is a sweet way for Fox to say that he wants you to stay, so you grab a chocolate bar and datapad from your bag, sitting down in a chair beside Fox's cot. "Don't feel forced to sit with me, if you need to focus-" 

You open the chocolate bar and hold out a piece. "Oh, I don't mind. Chocolate?" 

"Yes please." He takes a piece and eats it, returning to watching the news. You both sit in silence for a while, you working on your report and him watching the same boring broadcast over and over again. 

It feels right to just sit in each others company, no need to say anything. Every so often you'll hold up the chocolate bar and he'll take another piece, definitely not the best thing to be eating right now. But everyone needs chocolate now and again, especially Fox. 

"This chair is going to kill my back," You grumble as you shift on the hard plastic. "I get why I don't get many visitors." 

"You can come sit up here with me," Fox rushes out. "If, um, you want." 

You stand and try to figure out how to do this. Fox moves back until he's resting against the wall, and pats the place in front of him. You sit, hesitantly, and his good arm pulls you back against his chest and wraps his arm around you, and it feels right. Like it's something you've both done forever, despite the fact it's completely new. 

His heart hammers in his chest, so much more obvious now that it's bare. You looked back down at your datapad and hastily type the ending, Fox's fingers tapping your knee as you work, head hovering above your shoulder as he watches the news. You turn off the datapad and let it fall into your lap, and Fox takes the opportunity to link his hand with yours. "Is this...Is this okay?" 

"Yeah," You breath out, head leaning back against his chest. "It is." 

3.

Being on the Coruscant Guard medical team meant you got to travel a lot. You'd seen so many new planets across the galaxy it was hard to count. Ice planets, uninhabited planets, beautiful ocean planets. You name it, you've probably seen it. For this month's mission, it's to a neutral planet, far into the outer-rim, and you hate to say the one thing you miss is Fox. 

You both have jobs and duties to fulfil, meaning he's back on Coruscant while you're trailing senators across the galaxy. You keep getting closer and closer, but neither of you has made that final step to admit you like each other. "Chancellor Palpatine, of the Republic Senate." 

Your eyes snap up to the screen in front of you, and sure enough, there's the Chancellor. A part of you hopes Fox is with him, but looking at the guards stationed behind him, it's likely not. The chancellor rambles on about promises, and you return to playing a game on your datapad. 

A hand claps over your eyes and you yelp, only to hear a very familiar laugh. "Guess who?" 

"Fox?!" The hand disappears and you look up in disbelief. "Fox! You're supposed to back on Coruscant!" 

"The Chancellor wanted to come to prove his faith, but apparently, he only needs his Chancellor guards. Not me." You can tell he's pouting behind the helmet and you bite back a laugh. "So I'm stuck here for a while, and I thought I'd come visit my favourite doctor." 

"You only say that because I give you chocolate," You blush and look away, and Fox laughs.

"Well, maybe. But still." He perches himself on your desk and pulls off his helmet. "So, how's everything going so far?" 

So far, the most you've had to do is treat a small cut. That's it. "I had to do brain surgery on a Gungan." 

"Holy kriff, is Senator Binks okay?" You burst out laughing and how seriously Fox took that, doubling over in your chair. "What! I need to know if-You were making a joke." 

"Did you seriously think I did brain surgery?" Fox shrugs and pink paints his cheeks. 

"I don't know! I'm not all-knowing about doctors!" You break into laughter again and Fox sulks, using his foot to shove your chair away from him. "Now you're just being mean." 

You finally calm down the laughter, tears in your eyes, and shake your head. "You're the one who thought Senator Binks needed brain surgery." 

"I'm pretty sure Senator Binks could use a new brain." You grin and smack his arm, Senator Binks having a reputation for not being the brightest person ever. "What, it's the truth! Did you hear about that time that him and Senator Amidala got kidnapped? I'm surprised he made it out, considering how stubborn he can be." 

"He reminds me of a Commander I know." Fox frowns and shoves your shoulder. 

"I come all his way to see you and you keep making fun of me? How did they ever let you become a doctor?" You laugh and lean back in your chair, smiling up at him. 

He smiles back, and it does things to your heart. "I'm a genius, what can I say?" 

"Maker, why do I put up with you?" You grab a chocolate bar from your bag on the floor and wave it around. 

"Because I'm the best and I give you chocolate." Fox plucks the bar from your fingers and smiles softly down at you. 

"Yeah, that's true." You blush under his gaze and turn your eyes back to the screen, watching the Chancellor ramble on about something. You still don't know to react around Fox, and you take it he doesn't either. "When does your shift end?" 

You glance at the clock on the wall and sigh. "A couple hours, why?" 

"Would you like to go to dinner?" You glance over at Fox, who rings out his hands as he stares at the floor. "I-I heard there was a festival going on, and I thought that maybe you'd like to come with me to see it?" 

"That sounds wonderful, Fox." He finally looks over at your and smiles. He gets a buzz on his comms as the speech ends, and he stands with a groan. 

"Duty calls, I'm afraid. I'll swing by later?" He pulls on his helmet, and you beam up at him. 

"It's a date." Maker, you wished you could have seen his expression as he freezes, nods, and then bolts from the room like a man running from a wild Bantha. 

^^^^^^^^

You'd changed out of your scrubs and into your normal civilian clothes, and you wonder if you should change. Do you dress up? Or would that make Fox uncomfortable? Or would he like it? You knew Fox would still be in his armour, should you have just stuck to your scrubs? You groan and look at yourself in the reflection of the sickbay window, and the door slides open.

"You ready, Bones-" You turn and see Fox with the wind knocked out of him, and his eyes trace you up and down before snapping back up to your face. "What are you wearing?" 

"Clothes? Do you not like it?" You look down at yourself in fear and Fox quickly stutters out a response. 

"No, no, you look _great_ , but why aren't you in your...um...blue things?" He worries his bottom lip, and you can see the gears turning in his head trying to remember the word for 'scrubs'. 

You beam up at him and shake your head, relieved nothing's wrong. "My scrubs?" 

"Yes. Blue things, scrubs, same difference." He says with a laugh and holds open the door for you. "I've only ever seen you in scrubs." 

"Well I'm not about to wear them out, it gives me an excuse to wear normal clothes." Scrubs were comfortable and all, but you get bored of the same thing every day. 

"Makes sense. Should I have changed?" You watch Fox look down at himself and rub a smear of dirt off his arm. 

"No, you didn't need to." You step outside and let out a sigh at the warm air that whips around you, happy to be out of the cold, stale air of the sickbay. "Besides, who doesn't like a man in armour?" 

Fox blushes, and even the tips of his ears go red. Fox leads you down a road like he's been here a million times before. Clones had the luck of photographic memory, and he probably just had looked at a map once and knew his way. You stumble over a rock and Fox's hand finds the small of your back, stabilizing you. "How did you manage to trip over nothing?" 

"There was a rock, I swear." Fox's hand does move from your back as you walk, and you don't mind. "I'm not normally that clumsy." 

"I think the surveillance footage of you shattering a mug full of caf says otherwise." He jokes and you gasp, looking up at him in disbelief. 

"How did you-You looked at the sickbay cameras!" He laughs and looks at you, eyes shining. "You mention that to anyone and the next time you come into the sickbay I'll put motor oil in your tea." 

The threat falls flat and you both laugh. "Fine, fine, your secrets safe with me. Ah, here we are." 

"What-" You turn and fell your breath get stuck in your lungs. The town centre is lit up with candles and flags, trees just starting to flower and bloom framing the small buildings. It's beautiful, and the sunset just adds to it. "Maker, Fox. This is..." 

"It's the festival of light. They only use candles and everyone comes out to celebrate." His hand leaves your back as you walk past stalls in the marketplace. "I thought you'd like it." 

"It's beautiful." You stop to look at one of the booths, and when you turn around, Fox is gone. You panic for a moment and look around and find him lost in his own little world, wandering down the street thinking you're still by his side. You jog up to walk beside him and slip your hand in his with a sigh. "I need to put a leash on you or something, keep you from wandering." 

Fox doesn't respond, staring down at your hand in his. "I-I didn't wander." 

"I'm sure you didn't," You say with a grin. "Now, what's for dinner?" 

"I overheard one of the Senators talking about this butcher stall that sells really good Hibbas." You've heard of many foods in your time, but not...Hibbas. Fox takes once look at your face and gasps. "Have you never had Hibbas before?" 

"I don't...I don't know what that is." He pulls you towards a stall with a grin. 

"Hibbas meat on a stick, with a bunch of vegetables, it's amazing." Fox goes about ordering and paying, and you feel bad about not offering-You know Fox would've refused to let you pay anyway, but it's still the thought that counts. 

Fox hands you a paper container and you open it. "It looks...like a kebab." 

"It is a kebab." He tears into his food, and you watch in amazement as he finishes half of it one go. He catches you staring and stops, tips of his ears going pink again. "Are you not going to try it?" 

"I will, don't worry." You take a hesitant bite, and he's right. It's basically just a kebab with a meat you haven't tried before, which is an awful lot like Nuna. "That's good, I see why you like it." 

"It's Stone's favourite. I'm surprised you've never had it before." Fox wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and starts to walk again, and you follow. You wander around the rest of the stalls, and it's so nice to relax for once. No work, no patients, just getting to have fun and try new things with Fox, who seems to be enjoying himself too. 

You're surprised he even took the night off, usually so strict about rules. "I'm glad they gave you some time off, this is fun." 

"I, um, asked for leave time." You freeze, looking over at him in shock. "What?" 

"I'm sorry, did Commander Fox requestion _leave_ time? Am I dreaming? Did you hit your head?" Fox scowls and nudges your shoulder with his fist. 

"I'm not always a stickler for the rules." Your jaw drops even further. "Okay, okay, maybe Thorn had to ask for leave time for me, I still had the original idea!" 

You laugh and shake your head, knowing only Fox would have someone else ask for him, too afraid of overstepping any boundaries or bending any rules. "You are something else, Commander." 

"It's Fox, for the last time. Besides, we're off duty, you can't call me that." You throw out your garbage, and Fox grabs your hand again once they're free. 

"Fine, Commander." You tease, and Fox gives you a glare. 

"Maybe I should just start calling you doctor all the time, how would you like that?" He asks, directing you down a path towards the edge of town. 

You watched as the trees shook gently in the wind, their flowers spiralling around you. "Maybe if then you'd actually listen to me." 

"I doubt it." Fox lets go of your hand to catch one of the flowers, and he stares at it in his hands. "I didn't know trees had flowers." 

"If it's a fruit tree, it'll have blossoms." Fox looks up from his hands to you, and takes the flower and tucks it behind your ear. You blush and look away, and for once, Fox uses his finger to turn your head back to look at him. 

"You always look away," He mutters, and you realize just how close you two are standing. His hand comes up to adjust the flower, and he smiles. "It suits you." 

You smile and look up at the trees. "Well, is pink my colour?" 

"No, it suits you because you're both pretty," Fox states blankly, a grin on his face. You're at a loss for words, and Fox's hand drifts up to tuck your hair behind the ear without the flower. "Can I call you pretty?" 

"Of course," You whisper, and Fox's eyes move down to your lips and back up to you. You both lean in until you hear a commotion and look up to see Thire making his way down the path and you both instantly pull away, trying not to feel awkward. 

"Commander! Fox! I-Oh hi, Bones." You offer a small wave and a smile. "I got what you wanted." 

Fox looks quickly at you and then back to Thire, ushering him off to the side to talk in hushed whispers. You fold your hands together and try to calm your beating heart. Of course, someone had to ruin you and Fox finally kissing. Of course. Fox ends his conversation and marches back over to you, ever the soldier, and gestures down the path. "Come on, I have a surprise for us." 

"Is the surprise Thire? If it is, I want a refund." That gets a laugh out of Fox, but besides that, you walk towards a crowd of people in silence. You don't hold hands, don't look at each other, both still afraid to admit what this was between you. "What's this?" 

"Festival of the lights ends with a lantern launch." You watch in wonder as everyone lifts up their lanterns and lets them spiral into the sky, like stars flickering in the sky. It's a spectacle to watch. "Isn't it nice?" 

"It's beautiful." Fox holds something out to you and you do a double-take at the lantern in his hands. "What?" 

"This is the surprise. So you can launch it. I thought you'd like it-" You squeal quietly and take the lanterns into your hands. "Alright, on a count of three. One, two, three-" 

You raise the lantern up into the sky and watch it spiral away, mingling with all the other lanterns. You stand there, eyes glued on the sky, for who knows how long. You glance at Fox, expecting him to be watching, but instead, he's staring at you, a soft smile on his face. "What?" 

"I'm just watching." You blush and look back up at the sky. 

"Thank you for this, Fox. It's very thoughtful." It's Fox's turn to blush, and he shyly smiles at you. 

"I just wanted you to have a nice day off." You pull him into a hug and he's taken aback, before slowly melting into it and wrapping his arms around you. "What's this for?" 

"Everything." You pull back, but not out of Fox's arms. Instead, you turn and watch the sky again, and his arms wrap around your waist and pull you back into him, your head nestled under his chin. 

You both watch the lanterns turn into stars, and even as people start to leave, you stay and watch, happy just to be with each other for a few more moments before having return to work, and to chaos. Tonight is your night, and you're not going to let a second go to waste. 

+1. 

"Do you have a minute?" You look up from your work and find Fox, with the most serious expression you've ever seen on his face, and that's saying something. 

It's normal for him to drop by at random times. After the light festival, he'd made an effort to stop by or go out of dinner or do something, anything, to see you. It was sweet, but nothing had really _happened_ since then. "Of course, what's wrong?" 

"I..." Fox looks off into the distance. "I'm leaving. On a campaign." 

"What?" Fox was the lead guard, he wasn't meant to be sent on missions like that. 

"They need the best, and apparently, that's me. Look, it's really...It's a really dangerous mission and I might not make it back." You understand the look on his face, the severity of it. When Fox was serious, he meant it. 

You get up from your desk and pull him into a tight hug. "Don't say things like that, you'll be fine." 

"No, Bones, this time I might not be. And I need to let you know, that I..." He buries his face into your shoulder and says something. 

"What?" Fox lets out a long breath, and pull his head up to stare at you. 

"I really like you, and I don't know how to act when I'm around you, and you...You're really pretty." You smile up at him, so glad to finally hear those words but devastated to hear them now when he's leaving on a life-or-death mission. 

"You're not half bad yourself." Fox rolls his eyes and you reach a hand up to cup his face. "And I really like you too." 

His eyes snap up to meet yours. "You do?" 

"Of course I do, Fox." You've liked him since that first day in sickbay. You've liked him since he admitted he was terrified of needles and told bad jokes and thought you did brain surgery. You've liked him more than you ever thought you could. "You better make it back to me." 

"I'll try, I promise. But...But I..." But he might not be able to keep that promise. 

"Just try for me, okay?" He nods and places his hand over yours on his cheek, pulling it away with a gentle squeeze. 

"I haven't gone on a mission like this in awhile. I'm nervous." For Fox to admit he's nervous, that means a lot. 

You take a step back and pull out the heating bag, along with your mugs and tea. "You'll do great. When do you leave?" 

"Tomorrow morning. What're you doing?" Fox asks as you set the mugs on the heating mad. 

"A proper send-off, with a toast." Fox sits himself down on the cot where you first fell in love, and you're hit with the memories. You both share a smile, understanding, and you perch yourself by his side and he wraps his arm around you. "Just like old times, huh?" 

"I'm a sucker for routine." You roll your eyes at the joke as Fox laughs. "You know what? I think you're a bad influence on me." 

You look up at him and quirk your eyebrow. "Pardon?" 

"Before you, I never did anything outside of the book. Right now, I'm supposed to be reading reports, but I'm rebelling and seeing you." He says and you gasp, feigning shock, and press a hand to your heart. 

"Maker, I must be rubbing off on you! Missing reports, how dare you?" You both laugh, and you can feel Fox's chest shake against you.

"See? Bad influence." You slip from his side to get the tea ready and return with your mugs. Fox gladly accepts his and sips it, but you can't bring yourself to drink as the situation sets in again. 

Fox is going away. And he might not come back, and you don't know how you can deal with that. "I'm going to miss you while you're away." 

"I'll only be gone for a little while," He says quietly. "But I'll miss you too." 

"Are you allowed to be on comms?" He shakes his head at your question and you frown into your mug of tea. "So I'll have no way of knowing you're okay?" 

"Just, uh, drink some tea when you miss me. Or watch bad shows. Then you'll know I'm thinking of you." You lean into his side with a sigh. 

You didn't expect it to be this hard. You knew, in retrospect, your jobs and duty came first, long before a relationship ever would. But right now, you want nothing more than force him to stay. "And you can break a rule or two and think of me." 

"Such a bad influence, but okay." Fox links his free hand with yours. "Anything for you." 

"Here's to a good mission and good health." You say and hold out your mug, and Fox clinks his with yours. 

"And to pretty doctors." You blush and shove his shoulder, both falling into laughter. Fox, considering the miserable commander he could be, could be quite the charmer when he wanted it. He sets his tea down and wraps his arm around your waist, fingers gently tapping on your leg, and you lean into his side.

You sit in silence for a long time, drinking tea and not knowing what to say to comfort each other. Your tea goes cold, time runs on, and Fox has to leave. You can only be so much of a bad influence, and his reports call to him. He hovers by the door, staring down at you and hesitating. 

You don't know why you keep hesitating around each other, afraid to take the first step and fall for each other, but he leans in and stop and corrects himself, sliding his helmet on so you can't see his broken expression. "Goodbye, cyar'ika." 

"Goodbye, Fox." 

^^^^^^^

Kriff this.

You can't live with yourself if you let him leave without a proper goodbye, or a kiss, or something. It kept you up all night, and at this ungodly hour of the morning, you were storming your way through the base to the hangar bay. 

Kriff this.

Fox was leaving, and he might never come back. And you'll have to live with that goodbye for the rest of your life. If you have a chance to redo it, you'll take it. Fox is stood with a group of men, and Stone spots you first, and you can imagine the confusion on his face. He smacks Fox's arm once, twice, before Fox finally looks up and to where he's pointing. 

Fox breaks from the group easily, taking a step towards you. "Do you have a minute, Commander?" 

"Yes - Is everything alright?" Fox tugs off his helmet, fear written plain on his face. 

"No. I-I can't let you leave without a proper goodbye." An announcement blares overhead for a shuttle number, and you watch the group of men pick up their bags and Fox hesitate. 

"I'm sorry, I have to go." Fox picks up his bag and your world shatters around you. 

You follow as he takes a step back, and the look on his face tells you to stop. You can see the conflict in his face, torn between his work and you - between hearing what you need to say, whatever urgent message he thinks it is, and doing the right thing. "Commander, please-" 

"Bones." The word makes you stop, fighting back the stupid tears that pop up. "We can't do this here." 

Kriff this.

"You can't just leave-" There's another call for the shuttle and Fox's face crumples up, and he turns away from you. Because his work will always be more important, and so will his duty. "Fox. Good luck, okay?" 

"Stay safe, doctor." He leaves without another word and you watch him approach his men, muttering something under his breath, and something takes over you. Maybe it's anger, maybe it's fear, but your feet move of your own accord as you approach the group and grab his arm, tugging him behind a pillar. "Bones-" 

You grab the top of his chest plate and pull down. "Kriff this." You press your lips to his and you swear sparks fly. Fox fully drops his bag, hands slotting on your waist as he kisses back just as desperate. Because this is goodbye, this could be the end, and neither of you could live with yourself if this was it. You both melt into it, not caring that anyone could turn a corner and see the two of you. Fox, for someone you didn't expect to have a lot of experience, is a good kisser. His stubble gently scratches against your cheek, and you smile into the kiss.

Fox pulls away with a gasp and kisses you again, this time much softer and much sweeter. When he pulls away again, he has a shocked look on his face. "Maker, that was..." 

"That's what you get for not listening to me." Fox smirks down at you and shrugs his shoulders. 

"I should listen to you less, then." He presses another quick kiss to your cheek and pulls back to look timidly down at you. "So, what does this make us?" 

"Whatever you want us to be." You don't care if there's a label or not. You don't care if there's nothing more, but you needed to get this off your chest, and make him understand just how much he meant to you. There's a final call for the shuttle and Fox grabs his bad and shoulders it. "You better come back to me now." 

Fox smiles and steps out from the pillar. "Nothing could keep me from you." 

"Charmer. Now go catch your shuttle before I really do become a bad influence on you." Fox takes a step, swivels on his heel, and pulls you in for one last kiss. You laugh against his mouth as you pull away, shoving lightly at his chest. "Go!" 

"You know, I'm starting to think you want me out of your hair." He pulls on his helmet and you both step out towards the shuttle. 

"Oh, I don't want that. Not yet." Fox rushes to his shuttle, and you stand to the side with a smile. "Goodbye, commander." 

Fox turns on the platform, even with his men around him, and calls out to you. "Goodbye, love." 


End file.
